Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis

He called her his 'reason for existing’, while she claimed he was the love of her life. But despite fourteen seemingly idyllic years together, they never got married. Was this the ultimate cause of their break-up – and probably their biggest mistake?

As a couple, there’s no question that, domestically and emotionally, they were good for each other. Take a look, for example, at Vanessa’s Jupiter – the planet of good fortune – in conjunction with Johnny’s Moon. In their multi-million dollar homes in Los Angeles and the South of France she created a blissful family life for the formerly rootless actor. Fittingly, one might say, for a woman whose name means ‘paradise’ (and yes, it is her real name!).

Taming the 'Wild Boy of Hollywood'

With an unsettled childhood and rebellious adolescence behind him, Depp – an excitable Gemini with flamboyant Leo rising – was certainly in need of a bit of stability. He attributes his reputation as the ‘wild boy’ of Hollywood to his ‘hellish temper’ as he described it in an interview with Rolling Stone. We put it down to an explosive triple conjunction of Mars with unpredictable Uranus and ruthless Pluto in his natal chart.

This powerhouse of fighting energy vitally needs an active outlet – and because it falls in the sign of Virgo, it can be most effectively expressed though the swashbuckling roles he enacts in his work. Otherwise it risks spilling over into his personal relationships, and since it’s challengingly aligned with Vanessa’s Venus, there was always the potential for some spectacular rows!

Although it takes a tough woman to tame a rebel like Johnny, Miss Paradis, the French singer and model born under the no-nonsense earth sign of Capricorn, certainly appeared to fit the bill. She draws additional strength from Mars rising in super-powerful Scorpio, responsible not only for her sexy Gallic mystique, but also for her refusal ever to crumble, no matter what life decides to throw at her – and in the past it has thrown quite a lot.

Sticking Two Fingers Up at the Establishment

At the age of just fourteen, her massive hit single ‘Joe le Taxi’ attracted a barrage of public abuse in her homeland, directed against her Lolita-ish video performance. Only a Capricorn/Scorpio woman could handle this kind of experience, which she describes as close to torture, and come out the other end relatively unscathed. Through it she learned to stand alone with no need for social approval, and to live her life exactly as she pleased.

With her motherly Cancer Moon squared by rebellious Uranus, that included sticking two fingers up at the establishment and those who tut-tutted she ought to legalize her relationship for the sake of her children. If she were to marry Johnny, it would be when she was good and ready. But with Saturn, the planet of limitations, in her 7th House of partnership, not surprisingly that day never came.

This Saturn placement is known for delaying marriage, usually until after 30 and sometimes forever. Because Saturn is the planet of hard work and responsibilities, those with Saturn in the 7th can subconsciously fear the additional burdens they believe getting wed might impose. Maybe they also sense that Saturn could have some challenging karma in store.

A Double 7th House Saturn

What’s fascinating here is that Depp also has Saturn in the same area of his birth chart, challengingly aligned with Venus, the planet of relating. Since the likelihood is that he, too, is secretly affected by similar reservations, it's not surprising that neither he nor Vanessa ever got round to popping the question. Things might have turned out quite differently, however, if only one of them had.

Once they finally bite the bullet, 7th House Saturn folk usually thrive in the 'grown-up' environment of a traditional marriage, which brings out their sterling qualities of strength, patience and solid dependability. Certainly, their relationships tend to be more stable and last longer when they legally tie the knot than when they don't.

Going through some kind of formalized ceremony or ritual can be important for these people in that it has the effect of making a partnership appear more grounded, more real and more permanent. If the arrangements between a 7th House Saturn couple are too loose and unstructured, then no matter much they love one another, often their sense of commitment or of being in for the 'long haul' isn't quite so compelling.